Machu Picchu was a city constructed by the Incas in the early 15^th century on the top of a mountain. Hidden from the Spanish conquistadores it was never found. It wasn't until 1911 that it was rediscovered and today it is considered as the most familiar symbol of the Inca empire. In 2007 it was elected as one of the seven modern wonders of the world and now a must-visit for every tourist doing the gringo trail through South America. From Cusco, our starting point, Chelsey and I embark on a three-day journey to the lost Inca city.

Getting there seems easy: just take the expensive tourist train to Aguas Calientes. However, there's another way, the so-called 'back door' route. It will take us more time, but offers a stunning experience and no pricy train tickets apply. So we decide to give it a call and on Monday we take the early 7 am bus from Cusco to the jungle town of Santa Maria. This ride takes us through stunning landscapes with gorgeous views on snowy mountain peaks. Fully packed with food and Inca Kolas Chelsey and I enjoy the bus ride with us being the sole gringos on this bus: crazy! The final part to Santa Maria is a bit more rough, as the road is under serious maintenance and therefore very uncomfortable but nevertheless very interesting. In Santa Maria we meet a bunch of French tourists. From Santa Maria we get on a minivan that drives us through a rickety cliff and brings us to Santa beautifully located next to the Urubambe river that goes all the way to Aguas Calientes.

The next morning we start our hike from Santa Teresa to Aguas Calientes along the river. The sun is hot so we bring plenty of water... and Inca Kolas! The first part of the trail follows the river along a cliff. The views are wonderful. After about 45 minutes, a cop car passes by and the cops offer us a ride towards the next bridge. We jump in the back of their pickup and enjoy the smooth ride along the cliff, getting off at the bridge. Peruvian police: nice folks!

As the sun climbs, it's getting hotter and it turns out to be a tough walk. We meet a few other people along the trail. Our next goal is the hydroelectric facility. While enjoying the stunning views and taking several pictures on the omnipresent majestic rocks, we make it to the hydroelectric about 1.5 hours later. Expecting a huge hydropower dam, we're a bit confused about whether this is 'it' or not, but our doubts vanish in a split-second. From this point on we need to follow the rail track. We pass by a very well-maintained military base. The friendly guard tells us to hike straight through the forest as the train has to get up the hill the same way the Devil's Nose train in Ecuador does. So by hiking straight up we're able to cut off some of our walking distance.

The walk along the railroad track is exciting, pretty and exhaustive. The trees offer plenty of shade but nevertheless the hike is challenging as we're carrying all of our luggage. 'Do I hear a train? Get off the track!' is one of our frequent utters. I am hardly able to recollect my photo camera from the rails before the train would have run over it. Timer photographs, I love them! As we keep going, we're not completely sure about our progress. 'Are these km-signs?' we question each other and while timing our walking pace we enjoy the beautiful scenery, the majestic silence, being disturbed by a passing passenger train again. After about three hours we leave the track and walk into a town that seems to be our final destination for today. 'If this turned out not being Aguas Calientes, that would be funny'. I'm joking, but there is no doubt given all the touristic crap around us: this is the last stop before the top of the majestic Machu Picchu ruins. Walking into town we're being offered tonnes of accommodations, tours and many other things. Our first priority is to get entrance and bus tickets for the next day. Then we quickly find a hostel and decide to offer our muscles some relaxation in the thermal baths of Aguas Calientes. Even though the short uphill walk consumes all of our energy left, it's worth it. After the baths we have dinner in a Chinese restaurant away from the main strip, thus avoiding the turistic charges. Being exhausted and facing a 4:00 am wake up we go to bed early.

The alarm goes off at 4:00 am and we make our way to the bus stop. As we arrive, already 120 people are in the line as if it were their daily routine. Yeah this is serious stuff! The first bus leaves at 5:30, bringing us to Machu Picchu at 6:00. The reason for going that early is clear: we want to hike Haynu Picchu, which is said to offer a breathtaking view on Machu Picchu. We're on time so we get our stamps that allow us to do the hike. After entering the park our first glimpse of the lost Inca city fulfills me with magnificent awe. I can't believe I'm here, it's like the top of the world!

While lining up for our hike up to Huayna Picchu, we catch a glimpse of the first sun light touching the edges of this gorgeous mountain. The whole scenery offers a majestic and mysterious view. The hike up to the peak of Huayna Picchu barely takes us 30 minutes, literally leaving us breathless. The top offers us a 360 degree view on Machu Picchu, but that's not just it. Looking down on the river, we're able to overview our complete itinerary from the hydroelectric to Aguas Calientes we walked yesterday! 'It looks so close, I can't believe it took us hours!'. The Snickers bars that Chelsey sneaked in past the guards are a welcome treat at this point.

After Huayna Picchu we explore the ruins and their surroundings. Although thousands of people visit Machu Picchu every day, today seems quiet and because the site is huge, there's plenty of space. However, when walking through this ancient city I wander for how long they will allow people to walk and climb the steps of the well-preserved which clearly appears to suffer from heavy tourism. There's no way this destructive business is going to last much longer and I bet that in the near future parts are going to be closed for the public, stricter rules will be applied and probably a visitors' quotum will be required in order to preserve the beautiness of Machu Picchu for future generations.